January 17, 2021 - Heavy Snow in Spain

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   Heavy Snow in Spain
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   Between January 7–9, 2021, a moist, low-pressure weather system over
   the ocean collided with a cold air mass sitting over western Europe.
   The result was the heaviest snowfall over Spain in fifty years.

   After barely seeing significant snowfall for a decade, the capital city
   of Madrid was blanketed with widespread accumulations of 20 to 30
   centimeters (8 to 12 inches). Some suburban and rural areas in central,
   northern, and eastern Spain were coated with up to 50 centimeters (20
   inches) of snow. The country’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET)
   declared it the largest snowfall in the region since 1971. In southern
   parts of the country, torrential rains led to flash floods.

   The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s
   Aqua satellite acquired a false-color image of snow cover in Spain and
   southwestern France in the early afternoon on January 11, 2021. This
   false-color image combines visible light, near-infrared, and shortwave
   infrared (MODIS bands 7-2-1) to distinguish clouds (white) from snow,
   ice, and high-altitude icy clouds (all shades of teal). Vegetation
   appears bright green.

   Nearly 700 streets and highways were rendered impassable by the
   snowstorm, and hundreds of people were stranded in cars for a night.
   All flights out of Madrid were canceled for nearly two days, as was
   most rail traffic. Government workers and soldiers were dispatched to
   clear roads in order to keep food supplies and COVID-19 vaccine
   supplies moving. Forecasters expected cold temperatures (-8 to -10
   degrees Celsius) to linger until January 14, freezing some of the snow
   into ice.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 1/11/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (464.6 KB),  500m (1.6 MB),  250m (4.8 MB)
   Bands Used: 7,2,1
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-01-17
 
